It's in Our Blood
by elysiann
Summary: Once again, the Duke boys find themselves being chased and shot at by this week's baddies. A tree in the road adds a little excitement to the chase. One-shot.


**Rating: G  
Warnings: None**  
 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard... but you knew that already.  
A/N: This is a scene that I imagine could have been a part of any episode... I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it!**

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The sun was warm, and the wind whipping through his hair and past his face felt good. The steady roar of the engine was as soothing to Bo as a lullaby to a baby. For a moment, everything was so calm and quiet that Bo almost forgot how big of a mess he and his cousin were in.

The peace lasted all of five seconds before yet another gunshot split the short-lived silence, and a fresh hole appeared on the General Lee's back window, a perfect ring of cracked glass surrounding spreading around it.

Bo ducked instinctively. Countless times he'd been shot at while driving, yet the 'crack' of every bullet still made him near jump out of his skin. Luke's reactions had somehow been reduced, over time, to a mere flinch every time gunfire sounded behind them. Bo shook his head, partly in confused amazement at Luke's apparent comfort with being shot at, and partly to clear his head. He'd banged it pretty hard on the steering wheel after that last shot.

"Ain't they ever gonna run outta bullets?" he asked in surprise. It felt like the General had taken at least a dozen hits since the gunfire began.

"Keep it 'tween the ditches, Bo," Luke warned sharply, grabbing at the dash to steady himself as Bo swerved across the road before regaining control once again.

"Well, maybe _you_ oughta drive next time we get shot at. You an' your _nerves of steel,_ " Bo snapped back, tightening his grip on the wheel and making a hard right that came dangerously close to the treeline on the far side of the road.

Luke's eyes widened for an instant before he squeezed them shut, mentally preparing to sideswipe a massive oak tree, but Bo somehow managed to hold the General on the road, a cloud of dust flying up from the rear wheels as they skidded through the dirt.

Another shot. Bo took one sweat-dampened hand from the wheel for half a second, just long enough to wipe it on his jeans. Setting his jaw determinedly, he applied more pressure to the accelerator, eager to put as much distance as possible between himself and any guns.

"Bo, tree!"

Too late. Everything happened all at once. Bo saw the fallen tree in the road the second he came around the bend - a good thirty miles per hour above the speed limit - and he hit the brakes and jerked the wheel to avoid hitting the massive obstacle. The General's tires spun, skidding across the dirt... and the next thing Bo knew, they were sitting in the middle of the road, completely turned around, facing the bad guys as they continued ahead at full speed in their black sedan... And with the tree taking up dang near the whole road, there was no room for Bo to turn the car around.

"Bo..."

 _Looks like Luke ain't got nerves of steel after all._ Bo grinned, throwing the General into reverse and stepping on the gas.

"Bo!" Luke's normally baritone voice rose in pitch, his panic evident.

"Luke, will you quit jawin' and let me drive?" Bo shot his cousin an irritated glare before focusing on his side mirror and adding a little more pressure to the accelerator.

Luke was silent for a moment, growing increasingly uncomfortable with the speed his cousin was going… _in reverse_. As many hours as he and Bo had spent on these back roads, they hadn't yet tried racing backwards at their normal speeds. "You're goin' too fast."

"Not fast enough to outrun a bullet, cousin." Facing the car that was chasing them, Bo could now clearly see the two men in the front seat. The passenger leveled his gun at the Duke's windshield, taking careful aim. At the last possible second, Bo jerked the wheel, swerving to miss the shot.

"Turn around," Luke ordered his cousin, his hands slick with sweat as he saw the gun aiming dangerously close to his head.

Bo shook his head, his eyes twinkling. "No can do. Road's too narrow, they'd catch us for sure."

"They're gainin' on us anyway, Bo." Luke regretted the words as soon as he had said them. His foot pressed hard on an imaginary brake on the floor in front of him, as if that would somehow counter Bo's eager foot on the accelerator.

The General shot backwards, tires spinning against loose dirt, and Luke held on for dear life as his cousin took a sharp curve at full speed. Luke didn't bother shouting for Bo to hit the brakes and turn around. It wouldn't do any good. Bo loved the rush he got when he made an especially long jump or a particularly sharp turn. He lived for the thrills, and Luke often found himself a helpless passenger during Bo's crazy stunts, praying they'd both live to tell about the latest feat.

The gun steadied, about to fire again. Luke had been wholly focused on the gun, not the road, and at the very moment he ducked away from the bullet, he heard his cousin's familiar cry:

"YEEEEEEEE-HAAAAAH!"

Luke wanted to shout Bo's name, or some kind of warning, but his throat was suddenly bone-dry. He knew what that gleeful shout meant. They were airborne.

That dang fool cousin of his was tryin' to jump the river _backwards._

If they survived, Luke was going to _kill_ him.

The General touched down after what seemed like eternity, jarring both passengers. Luke ran a shaky hand through his hair, swallowing hard. "Bo," he managed hoarsely, "If brains were leather, you wouldn't have enough to saddle a junebug."

Bo grinned at that, slamming on the brakes a good twenty yards from the riverbank. "If I had your brains, I'd be just as dull as you are, Luke." He laughed - that high-pitched giggle that Luke had become so familiar with over the years - and slid out of the driver's window just in time to see the hitmen's car land hard on the bank before them. They'd managed a far less graceful jump than the Dukes, and both men were clearly shaken by the ordeal. Nonetheless, they flung their doors open, ready to meet the determined blond charging at them with balled fists.

Luke had barely grasped the fact that he and Bo had survived a backward jump over the river when he looked up and saw Bo hit the gunman with enough force to fell a small tree. He slipped through his own window, gathering his wits enough to take the other man while Bo knocked his man down. A quick jab and a strong left hook, and the second hitman joined his friend lying on the ground, both holding bruised jaws.

Bo offered Luke a bright smile, scrubbing a hand through his hair so it fell properly across his forehead. His grin faded slightly with the dark glare Luke shot him, and he was grateful when the sound of approaching sirens momentarily distracted Luke from giving the inevitable lecture Bo was preparing himself for.

"Leave it to Rosco to show up right when the work's all done." Luke shook his head as red blue flashing lights came into view.

Rosco's patrol car flew over the river, landing hard beside the gunmen's sedan. Bo's eyebrows raised in surprise and approval. "Hey, Luke, you know he's getting' better at that every day."

Luke glanced back at his cousin and smiled cynically. "At least he had enough sense to take jumps goin' forward."

Bo shrugged sheepishly, but refrained from responding as Rosco got out of his patrol car. "Aaaaaalright, you two," he began sternly, jerking his gun from its holster and waving it very deliberately. "On your feet, so I can cuff ya an' stuff ya."

The two men looked like they were considering making a run for it, but their expressions changed when they saw the Duke boys standing a little too close for comfort. Defeated, they rose to their feet and put their hands on the hood of their car.

Bo shook his head at Rosco's elated "kew kew!" as he cuffed the men and led them to the patrol car. As the car door slammed behind the crooks, Bo looked turned uncertain eyes towards his cousin. "Aw, Luke… you ain't mad, are you?"

"That was a dang fool stunt you pulled back there." Luke's voice was hard as he met Bo's gaze. "You coulda got us both hurt real bad."

His bright mood dampened, Bo's eyes dropped to the ground, and he nudged a rock with the toe of his boot. "Well, I-"

"I said you _coulda_ got us hurt." Bo looked up, his expression curious, and Luke winked at him. "You didn't."

"I thought you was mad…" Bo ventured cautiously.

Luke shrugged. "No harm done, I s'pose." He held his stern expression for a moment longer before he laughed and broke into a wide grin. "That was some jump, though."

"Bet I could do it again," Bo said brightly, his eyes lighting up. It only took one look from Luke, however, for him to sullenly add, "Or not…"

Luke nodded, satisfied, and slid into the passenger seat, Bo following beside him. The engine roared to life, and Bo headed back towards the farm. "Leastwise, I ain't gonna try again without a little practice first."

Surprised when Luke made no comment, Bo glanced to the side, and noted the small smile on Luke's face. His cousin hadn't said it aloud, but his silence confirmed it. Whether Luke would admit it or not, he'd enjoyed the rush, the surge of adrenaline while they were flying across the river. As smart as Luke was, he was a Duke… and Dukes lived dangerously. There was nothing Luke could do about it. It was in his blood.

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 **I honestly don't know if a backwards jump like that is physically possible... just pretend that it is, for the sake of the story. Reviews are much appreciated!**


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